Jack



J. H. BURKHOLDER.

JACK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29. I9I9.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- J. H. BURKHOLDER.

JACK.

`APPLICATION HLED Aue.29, 1919.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

operating handle.l

UNITED STATES'.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. BURxHoLnER, or ASHLAND, oHro. AssIoNoR 'ro ELITE MANUFACTURING coMrANY, A PAn'rNERsnrr c oMrosEn on JOHN H. BURKHOLDER, PRESTON E. coUN'rRYMAN, AND E. r.. KILHEFNER, or ASHLAND, omo.

3 ACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

To all whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, JOHN H. BURKHOLDER, citizen of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county'of Ashland and State of Ohio. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Jacks, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to a jack i ii which areversible operating handle is adapted to reverse the operations of a pair of pawls and the direction of movement of the lift bar of the jack, all substantially as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the jack with the middle portion of the standard casing broken away and with the parts in lifting position. Fig. 2 is a plan view on a cross sectional line through the pivot forthe operating head and handle. Fig. 3 is a side elevation corresponding to Fig. 1, but with the pawls and other parts in lowering position, the handle being reversed or inverted as compared with Fig. 1 and differently adjusted at the elbow 'oint. J Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive, are detail views, Fig. 4 being a perspective view of the spring controlling member, Fig. 5 a perspective view of the lift pawl or dog, Fig. 6 a perspective of the lowering check pawl, and Fig. 7 aperspective of a modication of the Fig. 8 is a side view of the top of the standard showing a hole to give finger control vof the pawls, and Fig. 9 is a plan of the inner end of the handle.

In a sense the-handle set forth herein is the key to the invention, in that by its manner of use determines the direction of movement of the ratchet or lift bar b to raise or lower the load. Thus, the standard a is a hollow or tubular member adapted to receive the ratchet or lift bar b therein more or less as is now common, and a swell or enlargement 2 at the middle upper portion of this standard is adapted to receive and house most of the operating parts and to provide a bearing for a pivot pin 4 for the handle socket or head L. A check pawl 3 also is pivoted on said pin 4 between inwardly projecting sides v7 of the` said head h, while a lift dog or' pa-wl 5 is pivote'd at 6 between the extremities of the sides ,The .Saidhead ci' mme? It is .free

to rock on pin 4 but the check pawl 3 being supported on the said pivot is not actuated directly thereby, andthe angular socket 8 inthe outer portion of member L is of suitable depth to receive the angular end 9 of the operating handle or lever, shown in the main views as sectional and extensible and consisting of two jointed parts or sections 10 and 12, but in the modification, Fig. 7, it is a single part 13.

A sectional, extensible and foldable handle is preferred, in that it makes it convenient to project the jack under the axle of a car from the outside with a long handle reach and without actually getting under the car personally, while it also affords an increased leverage so that a heavy load can be easily raised thereby. However, a single handle or lever of a suitable length, as in Fig. 7, may be used, especially for cars of light weight.

The present extensible handle has its inner section or part 10 made of two parallel metal bars between which the single outer handle section or bar 12 is pivoted at one end on a fixed pin 14 which unites the immediate ends of said bars together, and coincident holes 15 in sets through said bars are adapted to receive a cotter pin 16, or its equivalent, thereby uniting both sections to provide either a straight rigid handle, as in Fig. 1, or a bent rigid handle with the outer member 12 raised at an inclination to the inner section 10 as in Fig. 3. The bent handlev permits lower depression of the handle and more radius of operation than the straight handle shown in Fig. 1. A chain 17 connects the cotter pin to the handle and .a change from the straight to the bent form,

or vice versa. can be quickly made. In either the straight or bent position the handle parts are rigid when the cotter pin is in place, but foldable when the pin is removed.

The inner end 9 of the said handle or lever isl fashioned to engage snugly in socket 8 with a slight friction at the sides'so that the jack can be lifted and carried or shifted by the handle as in positioning the ack under the axle or in withdrawing it after use, and special means might be introduced to provide or give this frictional effect. Thus, in the divided form of section lO'with its two side bars, the ends of'ys'aidbarg are flared apart' slightly and; almost' impeieptibly t? the eye, to effect gripping engagement ofthe handle with the sides of the socket. It will be noticed in Fig. 9, particularly, that the spacing piece or insert 20, secured at its butt by rivet 21 between the two bars of this section, is spaced slightly apart from said bars where projected beyond said rivet, and the top ,thereof is flush with the top edges of said bars and the ends of the bars are also beveled slightly to promote their introduction into the socket. Bars 10 with their slight flare are compressible toward each other to eiect a firm hold'or grip within the Socket, butnevertheless these bars are free to be withdrawn when jacking of the car has occurred and the handle is to be inverted to-lower the car.

In jacking operationsV a lift spring s bears against each of the pawls to normally press them into engaging relation' with the teeth on lift bar b, and on oscillating movement of the handle is all that is required to raise the load. Thus, referring to Fig. 1, when the handle is raised pawl 5 is lowered and in this interval the lift bar is upheld by check pawl 3; when the handle is depressed pawl 5 is beneath a new tooth on the lift bar and the said bar isA raised until check pawl 3 is pressed underneath another tooth. In these operations only the' lift springs s are in play to press the pawls to their work and no other controlling `device is utilized. y But several others parts are necessary to efl'ect reversal of the jack and lowering of the load, and the action of both pawls is modified accordingly by reversing the handle in its socket. That is to say, the handle is drawn bodily from its socket 8 and inverted to the position shown in F ig. 3, where the insert or back piece 20 in the handle will be on top and adapted to set in motion a train Vof parts that eiiect the opposite action'of the pawls and which parts in their operating orderVv comprise, first, a

spring support 25 pivoted on an ear 26 on` the top of head 7L and having a round lug 27 on its bottom extending down through a slot in the top of head h and adapted to be engaged and lifted by the back piece or vpart '20. When the spring support 25 is raised and held up the flat and fairly stift' strong spring 28 fixed at one end on a side projection of said support is correspondingly raised, and the free end of said spring lies under and comes into lift relation with the inner end of a tripping device 30 having the irregular shape shown in Fig. 4 and which together with the spring is essential in effecting a lowering movement of the lift bar see Fig. 3.' Thus, this device, under the influence of spring 28, withholds pawl 3 temporarily from engaging the teeth on the lift bar while pawl 5 is occupied in lowering said bar, and this ldevice and spring 28 of one tooth at a time.

also trips pawl 5 and permits the check pawl 3 to engage and hold up the lift bar while the handle is being depressed to repeat the loweringoperation; Structurally the said device comprises a hook 31, av front upwardly curved end 32, a hump 33, and an end oiset or shouldered ear 34 which is adaptedpto occupy a groove or recess 29 in the side wall of standard 2- opposite a semi-circular'opening therein. The wings or shoulders on ear 34 serve to confine said device in working position within the standard with aA Afree Vrocking engagement in groove or recess 29, and spring 28 and the pawls 3 and`5 also-'assistin confining this device in 4working position within the sta-ndard.' Thus, the said spring bears upward against the end 32, and'finger 35 on one side and middle of pawl3 is 'engaged by hump 33, which serves to force or hold pawl 3 momentarily back while pawl 5 is carrying the load downward, until, in further movement, a projection 36 on pawl lstrikes hook 31 and depresses the ree'end 32 of said device so that the stop pawl 3-1nay resume engagement with the rack under its own lift spring sand support the load until a new lowering grip is made by pawl `5. In other words, when lthe handle is elevated, the side projection or finger 36 opposite the pivot'ot1 pawl 5 turns down into en- Y gagement with hook 31 and forcibly `depresses the free end-32 of the device 30 'against thev upward pressure 'oi:'- spring 28 and overcomes this pressure and releases pawl 3 so that it may be pressed by its spring beneath a toothV on the lift bar before pawl 5 is disengaged. The interval of time to effect the exchange between the pawls is momentary, and all the movements, both up and down, of the lift bar are in steps j In lowering the load the weight, of course, comes on the short end of the leverage behind pivot 4:. and is easily controlled through the long handle, and in raising the load when pawl 5 is disengaged from the lift bar and the handle is being depressed said pawl remains tilted apart from the lift bar until it is again inl position to spring into engagement with a higheir toothV than the one previously engage Y u Practically the handleV as an operating vmedium comprises the socket member or head 7L, since the handle proper always is rigid with and an extension'of the head. However, for descriptive purpose as well as for-the desired operations, the handle proper is treated herein as a primary operating eleraise and hold up the litt bar, and whereby a reversed or inverted position of the handle will raise the projection 27 when por tion 2O is inserted uppermost in the socket and so that spring 28 will act upon the pawls to lower the load, step by step..

The handle coacts with the spring-holding member 25 in only one ot its two possible positions in the socket, and when reversed and out of engaging or contacting` position relatively to tripping member 25 the said member is inactive. That is, the tripping member does not coact with or effect the movement ot' the pawls in raising the liftbar, but is only actively engaged by the spring when the handle is utilized to raise the sprin0-holding member 25.

What claim is:

l. A litt jack as described, comprising a litt-bar and a pair of pawls adapted to engage the same having each a lateral linger on corresponding sidesfa tripping device at the side of said pawls adapted to engage said lingers, a pivoted handle socket member carrying a spring in working relation with said device, and a handle having means adapted to flex said spring when the handle occupies a predetermined position in the socket member.

2. In lift jacks, a ratchet lift bar, a pivoted member having a pawl pivoted on the inner end thereof and another pawl pivoted on the same pivot as said member, s Jrings to press said pawls into engagement with said ratchet-bar, a device adapted to throw said pawls out of engagement with said bar alternately, a spring and a pivoted support therefor on said pivoted member and adapted to control the action ot said device, and a handle adapted to operate said pivoted member and to flex said control spring through the support therefor.

3. In lift jacks, a standard, a ratchet liftbar, and means to raise and lower said bar comprising a handle socket pivoted in said standard, two coacting pawls pivoted respectively on the inner end or said handle member and on the pivot oi" said member between the sides thereof, springs for each of said pawls, a tripping device operatively related to both said pawls and adapted to disengage the same alternately upon said lift bar, a flat spring mounted upon said socket member and in litt relations to said tripping devices, and a handle removably engaged with said handle socket and adapted to iex said spring to ei'ect active working of said tripping device.

Ll, A jack comprising a standard, a handle support pivoted therein and a handle in said support, a ratchet litt-bar and a pair or spring-pressed pawls positioned relatively one in advance of the other and adapted to engage said lift-bar, a trip member at one side ot said pawls and in tripping relations therewith, and a spring pivotally mounted at one end on said handle support and adapted to controlthe action ot said trip member to effect a lowering movement of said lift-bar- 5. ln a jack, a standard and a lift-bar and means adapted to raise and lower said bar comprising a handle support pivoted on said standard and a handle therewith, a pair or' pawls one of which is pivoted on the inner end of said handle support and the other on the pivot of said support, a tripping device for said pawls, a spring mounted upon the outer portion of said handle support and adapted to operate said tripping device, and said handle in actuating relations with said spring.

Signed at Ashland, in the county ot Ashland, and State of Ohio, this 30 day of July, 1919.

JOHN H. BURKHOLDER. 

